Tag: Lovecraft

This is Horror is a sampling of Horror Movies, Art, Fiction, and Gaming, and more. A little bit of everything to make the horror hound in you feel all fuzzy and warm. Or tingle with anticipation. Whatever works for you. Hope you enjoy!

Horror Movies

Horror Movie Suggestion for the Week:

Your horror movie suggestion for the week is The Witch. This is one of those movies that people seem fairly polarized on. However, even though I generally hate movies that move slower, I really liked The Witch. It kept my attention much better than I thought it would, and the ending had me goggling.

The Witch Synopsis: A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.

Featured Horror Art from DeviantArt

The Cenobites are outright freaky, and I think that ADAMTMG100 has done an excellent job of conveying that creepiness in this image. There are many more like it up from him, so if you like it, please click on the link and go show him some love.

Horrorific Trivia

Since we all know how much I love Lovecraft, tentacles and all things Cthulhu it shouldn’t be a surprise that a Lovecraft trivia list would pop up here. As most people probably know he was a great pen pal and had lots of correspondence with other authors. In 1934 a story was sent around anonymously to members of the ‘Lovecraft Circle’. It contained hilarious pseudonyms to his friends and other writers. He denied writing the piece but it’s mostly attributed to Lovecraft. For what it’s worth, my copy lists Lovecraft and Robert H. Barlow. The story is public domain and I will provide a link to the story.

Anyway, I really liked some of the punny nicknames and I think you guys will too.

Cast of Characters

1. Two-Gun Bob – Robert E. Howard

2. Knock-Out Bernie, the Wild Wolf of West Shokan – Bernard Austin Dwyer of West Shokan, New York

3. Bill Lum Li – William Lumley

4. Wladislaw Brenryk – H. Warner Munn

5. D.H. Killer – David H. Keller

6. M. Gin Brewery – Miles G. Breuer

7. A. Hijacked Barrell – A. Hyvatt Verrill

8. G.A. Scotland – George Allan England

9. Frank Chimesleep Short, Jr. – Frank belknap Long, Jr.

10. The Effjoy of Akkamin – Forest J. Ackerman

11. Mrs. M. Blunderage – Margaret Brundage (Weird Tales artist)

12. Mr. C. Half-Sent – C.C. Senf (W.T. artist)

13. Mr. Goofy Hooey – Hugh Rankin (artist)

14. W. Lablanche Talcum – Wilfred Blanch Talman

15. Horse Power Hateart – Howard Phillips Lovecraft

16. M. le Comte d’Erlette – August Derleth

17. J. Caesar Warts – Julius Schwartz

18. H. Kanebrake – H.C. Koenig

19. H. Wanderer – Harold Wandrei

20. Teaberry Quince – Seabury Quinn

21. Malik Taus, the Peacock Sultan – E. Hoffmann Price

22. Sing Lee BawledOut – F. Lee Baldwin

23. Klarkash-Ton – Clark Ashton Smith

24. Windy City Grab Bag – Weird Tales

25. W. Peter Chef – W. Paul Cook

26. Smearum & Weep – Dauber & Pine

27. Samuelus Philanthropus – Samuel Loveman

28. Mr. De Merit – Wurst’s Weekly Americana – Hearsts American Weekly

Some are obvious wordplay on the names and others I can only assume are inside jokes. The story is very tongue-in-cheek.

Horror Books

New Horror Releases (Covers link to Goodreads):

Dark Cities – Edited by Christopher Golden – May 16th, 2017

In shadowy back alleys, crumbling brownstones, and gleaming skyscrapers, cities harbor unique forms of terror. Here lie malicious ghosts, cursed buildings, malignant deities, and personal demons of every kind. Twenty of today’s most talented writers bend their skills toward the darkness, creating brand-new tales guaranteed to keep you awake at night– especially if you live in the dark cities. Far worse than mythical creatures such as vampires and werewolves, these are horrors that lurk in the places you go every day–where you would never expect to find them. But they are there, and now that you know, you’ll never again walk the streets alone.

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault – Candace Robinson – May 16th, 2017

Some see it… Some don’t…

People in the town of Deer Park, Texas are vanishing. There is a strange museum, known as Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, that appears overnight. Perrie Madeline’s best friend and ex-boyfriend are among the missing. Perrie, along with her friend August, go on a pursuit to search for them in the mysterious museum. Could the elusive Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault have anything to do with their disappearances?

A book that intertwines horror elements and retellings, with humor and darkness

Gone with the Dead – Edited by Lori Perkins – May 3rd, 2017

An Anthology of Romance and Horror where Gone with the Wind meets The Walking Dead!

When a convention of more than 4,000 romance writers and readers descends upon Atlanta Georgia, it can only mean one thing…a mash-up of two of the finest Georgia traditions.

Erotic romance anthologist Lori Perkins has brought together 16 tales of Southern love and death in this unique short story collection.

Top 15 Songs from R’lyeh

When people hear Lovecraft they automatically think of books and movies. Not too many people think of music when they think of Lovecraft. There are many songs out there that not only are Lovecraftian in tone but also directly related to his works. The songs are mostly in the rock/metal genre with an occasional dip into the prog rock pool. Where possible I provided a link to a video for the song. I am not affiliated with any of the Youtubers linked to, I went with the best video available. I will also provide lyrics where available.

Would you like to know – I mean, REALLY know – what they’re doing when they go to those fancy comic-cons? Because it ain’t just writing.

See, every year, thousands of people attend comic-cons dressed as monsters. Of course, you probably already knew that. But did you ALSO know that… every year, thousands of MONSTERS attend comic-cons dressed as PEOPLE.

Sure. Nothing could POSSIBLY go wrong there.

Luckily, the con organizers have placed Wardens throughout the conventions. These undercover supernatural troubleshooters are tasked with stopping mayhem before it starts . . . or solving the murders after they happen.

I’M MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS: author of this book, and one of the Wardens. My job is to go to the cons, where I sell books, make fans, and kill the occasional monster.

It’s not just me, either. Those authors I told you about, and even more . . . you’d never guess what many of your favorite authors are REALLY up to at the conventions.

This Top Ten Tuesday, the theme was things that make us instantly want to read a book. There are lots of things that get us in the mood, but we’ve managed to narrow it down for you. (Mostly.) Note that this is a list from both Gracie and I but we’re not saying what belongs to whom. Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you courtesy of Broke and Bookish.

10 Things That Get Us in the Mood (to Read)

If you put a Megaladon, a gigantic Squid, or even just some part of a monster like it’s ferociously intent eyeballs on the cover… I’m sold! Gimme. Gimme gimme gimme gimme.

Demons (or Possession)

I may be an atheist, but if you tell me someone’s immortal soul is in danger, and some do-gooder is gonna have to go toe-to-toe with Satan or one of his minions? Let me grab the popcorn and I’m there!

Haunted/Haunting (or Ghosts. Ghosts is a good word too.)

Demons are the ultimate scary, but there’s something deliciously shiver-inducing about a haunted house (or car. Or anything, really.) The creak of a floorboard, the faucets turning on suddenly, a dark figure looming behind you when you look in the mirror. It’s all good. (And by good I mean terrifying, of course.)

Lovecraft / Cthulhu (Coolthulhu!)

If you didn’t expect Lovecraft or Cthulhu to show up on this list, then you obviously don’t know where you’ve ended up. And you might want to back away slowly. Lovecraft’s mythos is legend, Cthulhu is awe-inspiring, and that is all there is to say about that.

Spaceships

I know, I know, I’m a walking cliche, but I love going into a book knowing I can anticipate a good shoot-em-up happening in space. In terms of things that get us in the mood to read, you can’t go wrong with a long, strong phallic symbol getting ready to wreck death and destruction on some alien scum! *cough* Or a cute story about an AI named Bob works for me too.

Hard

Yes, right on the heels of talking about phallic symbols, I’m bringing the word hard into it. However, I’m talking about hard science fiction, of course. So if you thought otherwise, well, we should be friends. That’s all there is to that.

Anthologies

Just to prove I’m not a lecherous female (most of the time), we’re back to playing it perfectly innocent. I’m always drawn to collections of short stories whether they’re by the same author or a variety of authors. If it’s an anthology that has the words ‘Haunted’, ‘Ghost’, ‘Lovecraft’, or ‘Cthulhu’ in the title then it’s instant attraction.

Plague/Virus/Infected

Oooh, there’s just something about those words that make me happy. I don’t need it to promise death and destruction upon the world, of course (shut up, Coolthulhu Crew). But a breath-taking thriller starring something that needs to be stopped just in the nick of time, preferably by a smart-aleck anti-hero? Mine mine mine mine mine mine! (FYI, Laptev doesn’t have an anti-hero, but it’s still a bloody good read.)

Shutter/Camera

I love photography, so any time there’s a book with a horror or paranormal bent that involves cameras, I’m going to pick it up. I just have to. There’s not even a question about it. (I might pick it up and put it right back down after reading the back cover, but I am, at least, going to lift it from the shelf and cradle it gently whilst I peruse its prose.)

A Great Cover

Okay, this isn’t a word or anything like that, but it’s true. There have been times when both of us have picked up a book we might normally not even look twice at just because the cover was so eye-catching. There are books I’ve carried home from the bookstore that I never end up reading, but I had to get it just because the cover was so shiny fantastically well-drawn or conceptualized.

Lovecraftian Horror

Anyone who even barely dips their toes into the dark and bloody pool that is the horror genre has heard the name Lovecraft. With his output at over 150+ short stories, poems, novellas, ghost written stories and fragments it is a staggering body of work.

Fans could argue amongst themselves about their favorites (personally the Dream Quest series leaves me cold). Non-fans can denigrate his writing as ‘overly hysterical’ and ‘melodramatic’. Even the proclaimed ‘Lovecraft Expert’ S.T. Joshi has some snide things to say about certain of Lovecraft’s works (and the same snarkiness is implied toward the people that do like them). To me, it’s a damn shame that he didn’t know how successful he would become within his own lifetime. Why is that so often the artist’s lot?

I do think the one thing that almost all horror fans can agree on is his far-reaching influence on the world of horror. An influence, in fact, that created its own genre: Lovecraftian Horror.

Top Ten Lovecraft Mythos Anthologies

It’s a genre that sits comfortably on its eldritch throne. A horror to make us feel small in comparison with the cosmos. And whatever could be lurking there, ready to crush us with one well-placed tentacle.

It is also a genre that can be built upon. Stone after slimy stone, Lovecraft seemed to encourage the building of his worlds with the result being the new generation of Weird Fiction, began on trade pamphlets they made at their own cost and circulated by mailing lists. Now, in the age of the internet, written freely, produced even more cheaply than Lovecraft was able to do and sold to those who devour it hungrily.

This is a little list I summoned up when the stars were right of some good Lovecraft anthologies and collections with a bonus link or two at the bottom for those interested in reading his works for themselves.

Black Wings of Cthulhu – edited by S.T. Joshi (series)

So far there are 5 books altogether in this series. It’s probably no big secret that I’m not a huge fan of Joshi. I dislike the tendency he has to consider himself the Official Voice of Lovecraft. I also dislike his tendency to dismiss any horror that isn’t directly related to the Cthulhu Mythos or cosmic in nature. Even in the introduction to this same anthology he casts a barbed compliment at a story that includes Lovecraft as a ghostly character. Saying Lovecraft “Might not appreciated his resurrection as a ghost”. I will admit, though, that he does put together an awesome, well-rounded Lovecraft anthology. While I haven’t read every book in the series (I’ve read 1-3) the ones I have read were a good mix of stories. The quality remained consistent throughout the first three so I can’t imagine they go down. Some directly tied into the Cthulhu Mythos while others had a touch of the Lovecraftian flavor to them.

Lovecraft’s Monsters – edited by Ellen Datlow

Now this one was a bit hit or miss with me but Ellen Datlow usually puts together pretty solid collections and anthologies and what pleases me others may find boring and vice versa. Plus, it has a great cover.

By the Light of a Gibbous Moon– Scott Jaeger

I have to admit that when I reviewed this on Goodreads it wasn’t a 5 Star read for me. It was a 3 which to me is a solidly entertaining book and not a bad rating in any way. You could see the influences in his stories. Sometimes a bit too much. However, I think that if he keeps writing he’ll find his own voice and niche in the simultaneously small and vast world of Lovecraftian weird fiction.

Lovecraft Unbound – edited by Ellen Datlow

Another great collection put together by Ellen Datlow with an awesome cover.

World War Cthulhu: A Collection of Lovecraftian War Stories – edited by Brian M. Sammons and Glynn Owen Barrass

Has some great stories in it that blend in well with the war theme. Lovecraft and war wouldn’t seem to go together but they do. World War Cthulhu answers the question of what would happen if The Old Ones did break through.

A great variety of stories in keeping with the arcane unknown that defines Lovecraftian horror. And, again, a beautiful cover to match.

The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft – edited by Aaron J. French

Another very awesome cover. I haven’t read this yet but it has a lot of good reviews behind it. My co-conspirator is reading it right now and so far the verdict is good. The sepia toned illustrations are beautiful looking. This looks like an anthology you might want to invest in the physical book rather than an e-book. It looks absolutely gorgeous.

Searchers After Horror – edited by S.T. Joshi

While not listed exactly as a Lovecraft anthology per se, it’s themes and stories call to mind Lovecraftian tones.

The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack and The Second Cthulhu Mythos Megapack – Various

Put out by Wildside Press these volumes contain stories by H.P. Lovecraft. They also contain stories written by contemporaries of Lovecraft that forayed into Cthulhu’s domains. At $1.00 each they’re one heck of a bargain.

Autumn Cthulhu – edited by Mike Davis

Another I haven’t read yet but with enough good reviews to justify it’s inclusion here. In fact, the lower reviews I have read about it mainly complain that most are not directly tied into the Cthulhu Mythos. Reading the description however it’s not marketed as being strictly Cthulhu stories. The synopsis leads me to believe they were going for stories with a Lovecraftian flavor.

Since these next two books are Lovecraft only collections I didn’t want to include them in the main list but they are great collections.

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft

A beautifully bound edition that’s too pretty to read. Which brings me to my next entry…

Insanely cheap this is, as of yet, the most complete collection I’ve found of Lovecraft’s stories. The e-book also includes audio readings and teleplays of his works. The audio collection varies in quality but the e-book does not. Arranged and linked beautifully, it’s only $0.99 in the Amazon store. I highly recommend it.

Have I forgotten any? If you have a favorite Lovecraftian anthology that I’ve overlooked please let me know.

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